How sweepstakes entry data can reach scammers
It's summer.Mall kiosks promise free cruises.
Retailers run drawings at checkout.Entry cards sit in stacks near the register.
You fill one out, drop it in the box and forget about it by the time you reach your car.That may be the last moment the information feels contained.Many sweepstakes are legitimate.
Still, the official rules or privacy policy may allow the sponsor, its affiliates or marketing partners to use and share your information.The privacy risk grows when those details become part of a larger marketing profile, move through the data broker industry or reach buyers running deceptive campaigns.Free live CyberGuy class: Sick of Spam? Join us July 22Join us Wednesday, July 22, at 1 p.m.
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No technical experience is needed.You’ll also receive our spam—stopping checklist, and every registrant will get a link to the class recording afterward.Reserve your free spot today at CyberGuyLive.com.FCC ROBOCALL CRACKDOWN COULD CHANGE PHONE PRIVACYA simple sweepstakes form can collect personal details that later become part of a larger marketing profile. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)A basic sweepstakes entry may ask for your name, email address and phone number.
Some promotional forms request far more, including your age range, household income, health interests, medications or magazine subscriptions.Those extra questions can have marketing value even when they have little connection to selecting a winner.The Federal Trade Commission has found that data brokers collect information from online and offline sources, including purchases, magazine subscriptions, income data and other personal details.
Brokers can combine those records into profiles that help ma...